We have come a long way

I certainly didn’t think I would be where I am today, when I started my career in law, in the late-nineties in the City of London.

Back then, the culture was so very different. It was difficult for me to adapt to my new environment. I felt so different, coming from another country, being ethnically mixed, from a bohemian family and arriving in the City where everyone looked the same and dressed the same. That was my first impression on day one. Lots of white men, wearing grey and black suits, walking in the same direction.

It was also difficult in those early days finding female role models. Of course, there were some female partners, and they did help me along the way, but they were so few and far between. What struck me then was how little they shared about their lives outside work. When male partners shared stories of home life, they all seemed to have a stay-at-home wife and not much connection with their children. I remember one partner remarking on having missed the opportunity to see his children grow up when his last child left home for university.

I knew that life wasn’t right for me. I needed more balance. That has been a constant since my early years. I need to feel that my different spheres (professional, intellectual, social, spiritual and physical) are balanced to feel truly happy. Of course, it isn’t an exact science, and some spheres regularly get left out, but it is aspirational and has always helped me.

When I chose to take an alternative career path to the traditional partnership route, many partners couldn’t understand why I didn’t aspire to the partnership as they had. I think I was probably an early adopter of some of the lifestyle aspirations of today’s generation. The partnership has changed so much since then, and if I were an associate today, I would probably have considered the partnership track. I certainly have never regretted my choices, which have allowed me to have a fulfilling and varied career as a knowledge lawyer, Of Counsel and now head of knowledge. In my role and in my various side-gigs at work and outside, I get a chance to make a difference in people's lives. I support and nurture talent from all areas and help people grow. 

A couple of specific roles are worth mentioning here, given how enriching I have found them to be. 

I co-founded our first women’s network, Women in Red, in Paris, to allow our female associates a safe space in which to practice their networking and business development skills. This network grew in numbers, allowed our clients to connect and find new professional opportunities, learn new skills, discover female role models in all areas. We had hostage negotiators, talented artists, accomplished business leaders and everyone had a story to tell and shared something to which we could all relate. I am proud to be part of a community of women who support each other and celebrate each other's achievements.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my career is mentoring and empowering other women in law. Over the years, I have mentored women through the partnership track and more generally in their professional development. I have found mentors stand to gain as much as mentees in the relationship. I have loved working with younger colleagues as their view of the world is so different to ours 30 years ago. It’s encouraging to see the changes that have occurred in the legal market (which of course mirrors the world more generally) since I started out. Sexism and sexual harassment are simply not tolerated anymore and even the slightest hint of inappropriate behaviour is called out nowadays. We could have done with more support on this front as women in law in the nineties and early noughties.

I feel truly privileged to live in a country where so much is done to support working parents. It has made a true difference as a mother of two, with a husband who also works full-time. Of course, I also cherish the support I received from both sets of grandparents and my heart goes out to all parents having to do it alone. Someone once told me that as a working mother, the most important choice I would make is who would be my life partner. They were so right. My husband has supported my career over the years, putting me first, allowing me to travel, taking more than his share in keeping our house and raising our children. I cannot thank his feminist mother enough for raising him that way! We managed to raise two wonderful daughters, our pride and joy, and this goes out to them and the next generation of women. I wish you the best ride: make the most of it, it goes so fast!